The desert region of Eyktol is a land where struggle is rewarded with life. Hard work manifests in the sun soaked skin and wrinkles of those who survive. Overtly every element works in concert to extinguish life, but for those who brave the heat these facade quickly shatters. Beneath every rock and in the depths of every shadow life perseveres in defiance of this misconception. The indigenous races, [[Eypharian]]. [[Chaktawe]], [[Benshiran]], and the viper [[Dhani]] also show the same indomitable will to survive because this is their home no matter how harsh and no land can replace it.
There are three established ways to travel east to west in Eyktol. The northern route lies in the Desert of the West Wind but wagons cannot traverse the cliffs south and so it is only viable for trade caravans if the eventual destination is to the north in Cypherus. One can travel straight through the Dune Sea but this is by far the most perilous route where not only the elements fight you but the monster that survive the inhospital climate are beyond the fighting capacity of the common person. The final route is through the south, by far the longest it is the most accessible to wagon trains and lacks the bitter struggle of the Dune Sea. Though there are no roads to be found outside of cities, an honorable Chaktawe guide will see travelers stay true to their path for a price.
Canyons
The Iron Scar
Rich in iron, hematite, and sandstone. Many of the walls of these canyons have essentially rusted millennia before the Valterrian when the land saw more rainfall. Ranging from deep red to pale sandstone, they were formed primarily by rainfall but since the Valterian have been deepened by the tides of the Suvan sea. The Scar is located on the north west coast of Eyktol, it is the drop off from the northern high desert making the north wall almost twice as high as the south where it meets the plateau.
Although rich in minerals, it is nearly impossible to mine. The canyon walls are all but sheer cliffs that would require a full mining operation to begin extraction. At the canyon floor rich soil has settled and during the summer season the plant life grows abundant. It is one of the single most fertile portions of land remaining in Eyktol, but no one dares try to cultivate it. The reason for this reluctance is primarily that it floods in the Spring and Fall. When the rare winter precipitation leaks down off the high desert plains it funnels heavily into the canyon, rushing through and destroying the vegetation on its way out to the sea. In the Fall it is the seasonal deluges that visit the area that once again cause flash floods at least thrice a decade.
While not prime for farming, a number of edible wild plants can be harvested here and it provides safe haven from the terrible desert heat for weary travelers. This temperate reprieve draws in much more than the wayward traveler though, predators on two and four legs call the Scar home during the summer.
Rechavasat, “Recha”
This stretch of land is the second biggest contiguous environment found in Eyktol. Found landlocked in the western half of Eyktol, the Recha consists of hundreds of buttes and table landforms. It is impassable from atop these landforms, and can only be traversed by walking the desert floor. While each butte is unique to the trained geologist, after seeing a hundred of them on a journey they begin to look much alike. The Recha has claimed a number of caravans who got lost winding through the irregular pillars. The truly unfortunate traveler stumbles upon the cursed city of Eloab.
In the northern Recha the buttes take the same hues as in the the Iron Scar, and has become especially renowned for its sunsets. Further south it is almost exclusively pale sandstone formations. These color changes are the best marker of location within the Recha. A traveler may also attempt to follow the river, but that implies they find it first. Following the river to its birth leads to a dead end and so the traveler must be experienced enough to know where to disembark from the watery path.
Plant life is unique in this region. Each surviving creature and plant has learned to adapt to the lack of consistent water. For example, trees that are only twenty feet tall may have been growing since the Valterrian. Animals are mainly reptilian or avian, only very small mammals such as rodents survive here. The insects are by far the most plentiful scorpions and scarabs can be found under many rocks, from this stems the Chaktawe superstition that each overturned rock is one year less you will live.
A number of mineral deposits are known to exist both within the buttes and deep below desert floor. After a monsoon passes through, causing a flash flood, rocks of turquoise and flakes of gold can be found. Additionally, historically there has been some success mining iron and copper but finding the records of such ancient excavations is nearly impossible for present day scholars.
The river itself is the source of life within the Recha. It is known to the Eypharians and northern races as the Jade River, but to the Chaktawe named it Abayla’s River and the Benshiran adopted this practice. The river runs a twisting path around buttes and tables out towards the sea, it originates from a natural spring from deep breath the earth. Every year the Chaktawe take their perspective Abayla’s here and each girl is asked to select a stone from the spring. The stones are each marked or unique in some way and determine the stories that she will be taught. These stones were once owned by deceased Abaylas, they were returned to the water to release the woman from her charge. When a girl takes up a stone, she is not only receiving the elder woman’s stories but her determination and spirit as well.
Desert of the West Wind
Spanning the entire border between Eyktol and Cyphrus, this is the closest to temperate climate the desert ever sees. Covered in dusky scrubland the weather here swings from bleaching heat to chilly winter nights. On the east the shelf slopes low to meet with the Sebakem ocean a day’s trek north of Ahnatep.
To the north are prairies and steppes of Cyphrus. Ahnatep lies to the southeast nestled in its wasteland. In the southwest the The Iron Scar marks the abrupt boundary. The remainder of the southern border slopes down from the west for the roughly one hundred miles from coast to coast.
The soil in this northern desert is shallow and rocky at best, supporting only the hardiest of plant life and supported mainly by the sparse rainfall. Once a waterfall existed over the southern cliff, fed from the beginning of the six-armed river that provided life to the Eyktolian civilizations. Now that the river has dried up, the great furrows in the land have left exposed bedrock which some merchants use as roads to speed their travel until the extinct river no longer follows where they intend to go.
Dune Sea
One of the harshest environments on all of Mizahar, Semele’s Sea is several hundred miles of endlessly moving sand dunes. The tallest of sand dunes can reach over a thousand feet from peak to base. The dunes are not perfect peaks however, one side is a steady inclination, this side is known as the windward side. After the windward side reaches its apex, the dune drops off into a steep face. If the terrain was the only concern, Semele’s Sea would still be deadly.
The weather is nearly an active adversary to desert travel. The wind is constantly moving the dunes, so paths that one generation used to cross cannot be repeated by their children. Additionally several times a year sandstorms of varying severity occur across the region, these storms must be accounted for by any travelers. A sandstorm at its height can strip skin from flesh and bury encampments to never be found again. For this reason any number of secrets may be buried and preserved beneath the dunes.
In addition to the wind and sand, is the heat. The dune sea is the hottest driest place on Mizahar, no one in living memory can give a credible account of a true rain in the area. The only hope of water is finding an oases, a natural spring unearthed by the moving dunes. These oases have a limited life span and will dry up with little warning, moreover finding one is more likely a mirage then a miracle.
The little water that can be found in the dune sea is gathered over night, from the mist. This works considerably better for plant life than people though, and should be considered only as a last resort. Additionally as scorching hot as the sands get in the day, they plummet at night. During the winter it can easily reach freezing temperatures.
Coastal Environments
Ixam Gorge
This gorge all but cuts off the Yahebe peninsula from the rest of Eyktol and is a major natural feature protecting the vibrant pastures. The gorge dips at a staggering degree on its northern face which makes for a significant impediment to travel and trade. On its southern side the inclination is much more manageable. A Benshiran shepherds can bring their flocks into the gorge for grazing, but this can be dangerous during winter
In the mild winter, the desert Ixams gather in the cacti and shrub rich gorge for their breeding season. Following this mid-winter event and the spring incubation period, the Gorge can be extremely dangerous as the normally apathetic lizards become violent in defense of their nests. These nests are generally located along the southeastern edge where sand piles up from the low coast.
During the winter the Chaktawe tribes will migrate here to help bolster their Ixam herds. It has become a time of trade between the devout Benshirans and the spiritual Chaktawe
Ahnatep Wasteland
Once the fertile farming lands that sustained Anhatep’s populace. Over farming and hubris slowly drained the land over centuries. By the year 300 AV not a single weed could be coaxed into growing in the enormous wasteland dominating the north east coast of Eyktol. A combination of salt saturated soil and draining of essential nutrients caused the effect, but some say it is a curse by Caiyha for the Eypharians’ arrogant use of nature’s resources.
An enterprising Eypharian turned the coastal wasteland into a salt farm.. Laborers dug shallow man-made ponds and then filled it with salt water carried from the ocean. Over the course of weeks the water evaporates leaving behind piles of salt. This has become a major export of Anhatep.
Yahebe Pastures
Surrounding the city of Yahebe to the north and south is chaparral fields of varying elevation. Over this sprawling coast side the various Benshiran Families migrate with their herds throughout the year. While it won’t easily sustain horses or cows, the environment is ideal for sheep, goats and camels. Other small farm animals can be raised in the area but the vast majority of shepherds only maintain large flocks of the three main animals.
In addition to animal husbandry a number of persimmon orchards, olive groves, and white ash groves are cultivated in the area. A various other vegetation grows wild in the area but is not regularly cultivated by the average farmer. The ability to grow fruit and wood in tradable quantity within the desert region provides the Benshirans with leverage at any regional trade table, especially with the self-indulgent and navally inclined Eypharians.
Where the pasture meet the coast it dives into a cliff face, there’s very little accessible shoreline from the Yahebe region of Eyktol. This coast extends around the south western Eyktolian peninsula and all the way north to the Iron Scar. It insulates the Rechavasat from touching the coastline in all but a tiny length of land where Abayla’s river meets the ocean. Since the area curves around the coast line its only borders occur naturally where it encounters the Ixam Gorge, the Rachavasat, and the Southern Plateau.
Southern Plateau
It is one the quieter areas of Eyktol, like the Anhatep Wastelands the soil is saturated with salt. Rather than being barren although, a number of hardy plants adapted to this concentration of soil in the salt and survive here. These plants are unique and particularly important for the herbalists and poisoners of the region, because they’re known to have significant effects upon the body whether for good or ill.
Although plant life is not scarce there are no natural aquifers or rivers that occur in the plateau, for this reason no large settlements have been established. All of the plant life has adapted to store water when the heavy rains fall and absorb the morning dew in the intermediary. A single small trade settlement survives although. It is only seasonally inhabited though and often the buildings are left for weeks upon weeks with no responsible stewards. During these lapses in population, bandits have been known to take up residence and so travelers must show extreme caution to only approach the settlement when reputable traders are passing through. Having said that the houses of Anhatep, the Chaktawe and the Benshirans have come to the uneasy truce regarding the settlement. For the Eypharians trading is essential to feed their populace while they had no farm lands. For the Benshirans it is a way to trade their resources for more sophisticated goods from the Eypharians and sturdy weapons from the Chaktawe. Of the three, the Chaktawe participate in the trade post the least but when they come through with their camel herds and their exceptional pottery and woodcrafts the other two races are more than happy to accommodate.
Looking forward to reading the rest of this article!